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Project TitleExperiences of College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Successes, Struggles, Needs, and Areas for Improvement in Services Provided by Schools

What is this study about?
Thank you for taking the time to consider participating in this study. My name is Dr. Fred Volkmar and I am a professor from the School of Medicine at Yale University. My colleagues and I are conducting this research project to obtain better insight into the experiences, successes, struggles, and needs of university and college students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Transitioning to the increased academic and social challenges that come along with attending university can be difficult for any student. A number of studies have shown that this can be particularly true for students with ASD, resulting in more negative experiences during their time at university/college, and higher rates of early dropouts from school. It is our hope that this project will help us better understand which characteristics serve to protect some students from having these difficulties, and which ones make other’s more vulnerable to these struggles. It is our intention to then share this information with university/college student support service representatives to enhance their ability to effectively support their students with ASD.

Do I have to take part?
Participation in this study is completely voluntary. You are free to decline to participate, to end participation at any time for any reason, or to refuse to answer any individual question. Your decision whether or not to participate in this study will not affect your relationship with your school.

What would I be required to do?
Participation in this study will involve completing an online survey which will collect some general information about you (age, gender, ethnicity etc), your academic, social, and health experiences at college, and a brief assessment of your current mood level. Completion of this survey is estimated to take roughly 20-30 minutes.

Will my participation be Anonymous?
All of your responses from this study will be anonymous. Only the researchers involved in this study and those responsible for research oversight will have access to the information you provide. The information you provide will be anonymously stored in a digital format on a secure computer until publication, at which point, all data will be destroyed.

Are there any risks to taking potential risks to taking part?
During this study you will be asked to reflect upon your social relationships, experiences at school, and discuss issues related to your current and past mood states. If you become worried that you are experiencing low or negative mood, or if you have any concerns about your well-being due to issues covered by, or as a result of completing any of these surveys, please contact your local General Practitioner. Further information on mental health issues, and options for help with any mental health issues you may be concerned about can be found through the American Psychiatric Association, the National Institute of Mental Health, MentalHealth.gov, and Mental Health America websites.

Questions
If you have any questions about this study now, or at any point during participation, you may contact the Primary Investigator for the study, Dr. Fred Volkmar (fred.volkmar@yale.edu) or study researcher, Dr. Scott Jackson (scott.jackson@yale.edu).

If you would like to talk with someone other than the researchers to discuss problems or concerns, to discuss situations in the event that a member of the research team is not available, or to discuss your rights as a research participant, you may contact the Yale University Human Subjects Committee, 203-785-4688, human.subjects@yale.edu. Additional information is available can be found at: http://www.yale.edu/hrpp/participants/index.html

If you would like to participate in this study, please select the box below, and then click the 'Take Survey' button at the bottom of the page:

I have read the information above, and agree to take part in this study